The Book of Black Melody
by Ashleena Elran
Summary: Once again, she wasn't satisfied with the result. After the 600,104,971st cycle ended, she decided to reset the history over. Another cycle started, yet if failed again even by the sacrifice of one of her children. This time she departed, but unknown to her, the 600,104,973rd cycle would begin. / REWRITTEN / IN PROGRESS. (Genres may change later, depending on story progress)
1. Tune 0: Prologue

**The Book of Black Melody**

**Final Fantasy Type-0**** (formerly known as Final Fantasy Agito XIII)**** © Square Enix**

**Story © Ashleena Elran**

Final Fantasy Agito XIII - Rated: T - English - Drama/Mystery - [Ace, Deuce] [Machina K., Rem T.]

...

**~ Tune 0: ****Prologue**

...

_My eyes…. Why can't I open them?_

_Who… am... I?_

_It's so dark here. I'm feeling cold._

_This numbness– Ah… I can't feel my own body._

_What am I doing here? Why am I alone?_

Thump… thump… thump….

_Is there… is there anybody?_

"Deuce?"

_Deuce? Is that my name?_

"Can you hear me?"

_Please, please help me!_

_Ah… I remember many people called me that. Those people who often came here to offer their prayer called me Deuce._

_Yes, I am Deuce._

"Open your eyes."

_What?_

"WAKE UP!"

With that words, she abruptly opened her eyes, wide. She quickly got up from her bed. Panicked, she walked to the direction where there was a mirror placed in the corner of the room. She stood there staring at her own reflection. Horrified, she widened her eyes. The palm of her right hand was placed over her mouth, covering her parted lips. This couldn't be real. It was just her imagination. Staring in disbelief at her own reflection she said, "Who… are you?"

...

– **To be Continued on Tune ****1****: ****The 600,104,972****nd ****Cycle: ****Start of the Beginning** –


	2. Tune 1: The 600,104,972nd Cycle

**The Book of Black Melody**

**Final Fantasy Type-0**** (formerly known as Final Fantasy Agito XIII)**** © Square Enix**

**ZERO © BUMP OF CHICKEN**

**Story © Ashleena Elran**

Final Fantasy Agito XIII / Final Fantasy Type-0 - Rated: T - English - Drama/Mystery - [Ace, Deuce] [Machina K., Rem T.]

**Warning: Some parts of the story are slightly different from the original storyline of Final Fantasy Type-0**

**...**

**~ Tune 1: ****The 600,104,972****nd ****Cycle/****Start of the Beginning ~**

**...**

_[Orience, Dominion of Rubrum, Akademeia: Classroom 0 – Date: Caelusmens VII]_

They had faced many battles through their journey to save the world. Blood, death, corpses and even the fact that their lives were in the line wouldn't make them back down anymore. They had come thus far, there was no turning back. The only thing that they could do was to move forward or leave it like nothing happened as if the world's end was out of their concern. No way, there was no way they would leave it like nothing happened. The fate of the world was on their shoulders to carry. They had to do it no matter what. Even after everyone had accused them as the harbinger of Tempus Finis, they should move forward.

At a crucial time like this, everyone was desperately waiting for _Agito_, the messiah prophesied to appear at the time of Tempus Finis. People of Orience were so afraid that _Agito_ wouldn't appear when they needed him the most. As if answering their fear, the members of Class 0 were formed and trained in order to become _Agito_. These students, they belong to the Dominion of Rubrum where the crystal of _Suzaku_ originated from.

As the figures who were expected to become Agito, the members of Class 0 were trained very hard to throw themselves in the middle of war, battling those who dare to endanger the safety of Suzaku crystal. They pushed the enemies of Suzaku away without any fear of death. Wounds and pains were ignored by them. As long as the mission could be accomplished, their very own lives were worth to be sacrificed.

Long journey they had walked through, the end would be reached soon. But, it wasn't that easy. They didn't know what to do. How could they defeat the Rursan Arbiter? No matter how powerful they were, it was undeniable that they were still mortal. One blow would send them straight to the next life. Moreover, without Arecia they wouldn't be able to get their life back like the way it was.

Knowing the fact that only Agito could save the world, members of Class 0 were trying to figure out how to become one.

The usually calm and composed Queen was unusually panicked. She paced around the classroom like a fly that was desperate to find a way out of the room. The other members were not as obvious as her, but they also felt the same way as her.

Jack, the clown of the class, got a bit irritated by Queen's behavior. His eyes followed her every movement that made him dizzy. "Why don't you settle down a bit, huh?" Jack said as his left eyebrow raised a bit.

Queen ignored what he said. She continued to pace around, but this time she closed her eyes.

"You will bump into something if you goes on like that, ya?"

Again, there was no answer from her.

The class was so quiet. Everyone was in a deep thought, except for Jack and Nine.

Nine, who was also observing what Queen did, was finally get irritated himself. "Arrgghh! Why don't we just confront him and beat him up? That will be faster, don't y'all think?"

Everyone raised their heads instantly. Queen finally stopped her pacing. She adjusted her glasses to a more comfortable position. "That's so like you, Nine," she said sarcastically.

The redhead of the class finally spoke, "Yeah! That's what we always do right?" She stood up then walked down to the front row tables of the class. "Fight all the way to finish our missions!" she continued happily. Her happiness is a bit out of the moment.

"Not again, Cater. Aren't you a bit too happy now?"

The young girl called Cater turned her head toward the source of the voice. It was the sarcastic Sice.

"Well yeah, as if you could come out with something to beat the Arbiter!" Cater shouted, her hands on her hips.

They fell silent again. This whole thing drove them crazy from time to time. Sometimes there was this thing inside their mind, _Why did we have to do this? Why must us? Couldn't somebody else become Agito and we could just watch the war end?_ The more they thought about it, the more they realized it was a nonsense. After all, happiness would only exist in fairy tales. And to make it clear their story was no Cinderella.

Enjoying the silence, the number five girl of the class thought that there was something wrong. She ran her eyes through one side of the class to the other, scanning the class room. No way! She couldn't find her. She swore that her presence was there with them all along. How could they don't realize it? One of their friend was missing!

"Umm... everyone?" Cinque called out in her usual childish manner to get everyone's attention.

Being the most rational and probably the most patient member of the class made Queen had a thousand ways to deal with her unbelievably childish friend. "What is it, Cinque?" she asked with a smile on her face, trying to hide her desperation.

She was childish but at a time like this she knew how to act serious. "Aren't we missing someone?"

"Did you mean _some two_?" Jack corrected her.

Everyone instantly looked at each other. The first one to realize who was missing was Ace. The horror was shown on his face. There was no mistake, someone was truly missing and they didn't feel anything at all.

"Where's Deuce?" Ace spoke up. Panicked, he ran toward the exist of the class room. "I'm going to go find her!" he stated. When it's about Deuce he would be the first one to act. Surely, he was reckless at times. His calm composure would be hiding his true nature. Everyone would be fooled by his cool exterior.

Queen shook her head. Not again. This was a torture already and now another one would come, adding up to her already-out-of-solution list. "Aren't we forgetting Machina? He's also missing."

"Machina's missing has become a usual sight, but Deucey? It's rare," mumbled Cinque.

"I think Deuce went somewhere else alone when we reached Akademeia. You know when we found out that Rursan Reavers attacked after we got back from Ingram?" The usually silent King voiced out his mind.

Everyone fell silent again. How could they forget about her and only realized it now? What if she was attacked by those Rursan Reavers? That would be the worst. As for Machina, they didn't know what happened to him. He often went missing. He went somewhere else without leaving any words to them. They just hoped he would be fine since the last time he returned he looked perfectly fine, except for his attitude. What's more was Rem's condition didn't seem to get better.

"Anyone has figured out something about Deuce?" Queen asked.

The boy who sat at the backseat raised her hand. It was Eight. "When I think about it there was something off with her after she met the Queen of Concordia."

"Ahem, Queen's here," Queen joked a little earning glares 'WHAT THE HELL?' from everyone. It's a bit out of character actually for her to joke like this.

Jack yawned loudly, "Hwahhhh, what a lame joke, _kaichou_."

Queen blushed, her face turned deep red in color. "Shut up! And— who's _kaichou_?!"

Being the oldest made Seven wanted to scold them. "Hahhh... Stop it already." Her face turned more serious than before. "The Queen asked for an audience with Deuce right?" Seven asked.

"When we were in Ingram? At that peace talk?" Trey added.

Eight nodded his head. "I was wondering about what did Her Majesty tell her. It seemed that Deuce was always spacing out ever since then."

"Hey, her partners in gossiping?" Sice looked at Cater and then at Cinque. Both of the targets raised their eyebrows. "Didn't Deuce tell you something about it?" Sice continued.

Cater was the first one to answer, "She didn't tell me anything. What about you Cinque?"

Cinque put her right index finger on her chin while her eyes were looking at the ceiling. "Eeeee... Me too. Deucey didn't say anything about it," she answered. "But she sure took a long time meeting the Queen."

Eight crossed his legs. He pushed his body to the back further so his back can lean on the back rest comfortably. "And asking the Queen herself is out of question."

"She was assassinated and we were the ones suspected of doing it," said Nine.

Hearing what Nine said, Queen answered back sarcastically, "Thanks for stating the obvious."

"But everyone," Here came the rants of Trey. "I think that there's something hidden by Deuce. As we know that Queen of Concordia can speak to the Queen Dragon, the incarnation of the _Soryu_ crystal itself. She must knew something that we don't know. And the fact that she only told Deuce about it is something that bothers me. Maybe it's something related to the crystals," he explained.

"You finally figured it out," said King calmly.

Everyone was drowned in their own thoughts. Trey was right. Maybe there's something about the crystal that only Queen Andoria and Deuce knew. But why didn't Deuce talk about it with them?

On the other hand, Ace burst in to the class room through the main door, where he had left before. He seemed more in panic. Sweats could be seen on his forehead. His breathing was uncontrollable. This made everyone snapped out of their thoughts.

"What's wrong?" asked Seven.

Ace tried to speak but his voice wouldn't come out at first. He took a deep breath before speaking, "I... I couldn't find her anywhere. But, Machina has returned!"

...

_[Orience, Milites Empire, Ingram: Armada Hotel – Date: Glacemens XXVII]_

"The Queen is asking for an audience with you," said the woman in blue.

Deuce was leaning herself against the wall. Upon hearing someone talked to her, she straightened her position.

"Me?" Deuce asked in confusion. _What does she want with me?_she wondered.

"Yes. Please come with me." The woman walked ahead of Deuce, leading her to a door with a carving in the shape of tiger on it.

Upon reaching the open door, Deuce was hesitant to enter the room. She looked behind her finding out that the woman was still there waiting for her to go in. "Celestia-_san_, before I enter the room may I know what the Queen wants to tell me? To be honest, I have a bad feeling about this."

The woman named Celestia nodded her head, a sign of understanding her. "Pardon me. I, myself don't have any idea," she said shaking her head.

Giving up, Deuce inhaled deeply. She put her right palm on the door, knocked at it. "Excuse me?"

"You may come in." She heard a voice coming out from inside the room.

Deuce pushed the door, opened it slowly. When the door was opened enough for her body to fit in, she entered the room. "Please, pardon my intrusion," she said while closing the door behind her.

There, the Queen of Concordia was sitting gracefully in the middle of the room. She smiled at Deuce then nodded her head, indicating for Deuce to take a seat. She could see the Queen Dragon, _Soryu,_ through the window behind the Queen. The dragon seemed like it was watching over the Queen.

Knowing the Queen's gesture, Deuce walked in further into the room. She bowed down in front of the Queen. Raising her head, she saw a chair closest to her then she sat on it.

"Welcome," the Queen greeted warmly. "Let's not waste anymore time. There's something important that I need to deliver to you," she continued.

"Thank you for your warm welcome. What is it that Your Majesty need to speak to me?" Deuce asked while putting a small smile on her lips to hide her nervousness.

Queen Andoria knew that her guest felt uncomfortable. "Please, be at ease. I want to talk to you not as a Queen but as a friend of yours. You don't need to use any honorific."

Deuce nodded her head nervously. "Yes, Your—"

"Kaya," the Queen interrupted.

Deuce gulped down. "Yes, Kaya-_sam_—"

The Queen stared at Deuce with a warm smile. She tilted her head to the side a little.

"I mean, yes Kaya-_san_," she corrected immediately.

Queen Andoria never let the smile slipped from her lips. She held out her hand to Deuce who was sitting directly in front of her. Knowing what the Queen meant by this, Deuce took her hand in her own.

"Close your eyes," the Queen instructed.

Deuce closed her eyes as the Queen asked her to.

"I'm going to show you what the crystal is seeing." Deuce heard the Queen said. "It's about Tempus Finis. There's actually an unexpected way to end this."

Deuce listened closely to what the Queen said. She didn't dare to say anything. This was a serious matter that the Queen wanted to show her and she needed to take this information the best way she can.

Deuce heard the Queen chanted a spell she didn't understand. It was possible that the language was native to the Concordian. Deuce continued to listen to the Queen's chanting until finally the Queen said, "Show us the light."

While her eyes were closed, Deuce felt a strange sensation. It was supposed to be dark when the eyes are closed, but there was some kind of strong light that she saw. Slowly, the light disperses and replaced by a blue light with a shiny object in the middle of it. It was a crystal. The _Soryu_ Crystal. There, Deuce could picture herself standing in front of the crystal.

"Welcome, human bestowed by the power of _Suzaku_. I am the Crystal of _Soryu_, the Crystal that empowers Concordian Kingdom. Since at this time I'm the only crystal who can communicate to human through the L'Cie dragon, _Soryu_," explained the crystal.

Deuce's eyes widened in surprise. "Is there something that I have to know?"

"Yes. But prepare yourself. This will be a surprising message."

"Alright." Deuce's voice has a bit of determination in it.

"Listen carefully," the crystal began. "You, and your friends are the key leading to Tempus Finis," it continued.

Deuce was so surprised upon hearing this. How could that be? They were supposed to prevent it from happening. How could the crystal say that they were the key leading to it?

The crystal didn't stop yet. "I know you must be confused but it's fate we are talking about. All of you are fated to bring the end of the world. All of you would failed to end this and the world will be destroyed even at the cost of your lives. Actually, there is a way to end this without too many sacrifices."

Deuce couldn't believe her ears. The crystal actually knew about their fate. It knew about things that would happen ahead of them. So, they were fighting for nothing? They were fighting to fail everything?

Despite her confusion, Deuce's curiosity perked up. "Could you please, crystal-_sama_, tell me that other way?"

"Listen carefully," the crystal began. "Open the door to another world. This door can only be opened if you have the power of the four crystals: _Suzaku_, _Soryu_, _Genbu_ and _Byakko_. In other words, you have to become more than being an L'Cie. You have to seal all of our powers within yourself. This is a very difficult task since _Genbu_ and _Byakko_ crystals are located in enemies' territory. Do you think you are capable of doing it?"

Deuce was so shocked that she thought her head was spinning. How could she do something like that? Compared to her friends, she is nothing. She is weak, not so strong like her friends. How could she go through this? Moreover– alone by herself? She wasn't even an L'Cie yet, but she had a doubt she could do this.

"How could I? I am merely capable of fighting alongside my friends. I feel so powerless when I'm alone."

"Let me tell you this. Among the members of your class, you are the most capable one. Your flute could create a melody that soothe the heart of anyone who hear that, crystals are no exception. Once the crystals are vulnerable, seal their powers within yourself. You'll figure it out once you face them yourself. For me, I would give my power willingly to you but after you reached where _Suzaku_ is."

"Why is it like that?"

"Because I need to use my power until the time comes..."

...

_[Orience, Dominion of Rubrum, Akademeia: Classroom 0 – Date: Caelusmens VII]_

"Machina!" Everyone shouted in unison. After a long time Machina finally decided to come back. To be honest they were happy that he came back but there was something that they didn't like. Machina was badly injured. It seemed like he had gone through a rough battle.

"What's wrong with you?" asked Queen. There was a bit of worry shown through her facial expression.

Machina felt his eyes were so heavy to be opened but he fought the feeling that urged him to close them. His mouth opened to form words but only coughs came out of it. Ace who were kneeling down to support Machina on his lap patted his chest to make him stop the cough. "Easy, Machina."

After Machina stopped coughing, he started to speak. "It was Deuce. She helped me to return back being a human. But she had to fight me first in order to do that," Machina said in a low voice.

"WHAT?!" Everyone was so shocked with what Machina had said. It was Deuce who did this to him? How can and... for what reason she did this?

"What do you mean by returning back to being a human? You are already human, aren't you?" Carter asked. She couldn't hold her curiosity anymore. This was crazy.

"I was... a L'Cie," Machina admitted.

Everyone gasped, some of them let their mouth hang open like the entrance to Corsi cave.

"I was a Byakko L'Cie," Machina started to explain again. "That's why I was missing from you guys. There was another me that I couldn't even control."

Everyone listened carefully to what Machina had to say. Of course, they felt angry toward him. He left them, then became an L'Cie. It was started from when he felt angry to the entire Class 0 because of his brother's death. He blamed everything toward Class 0, without considering the fact that he, himself, was already a part of Class 0. He should've understand what it meant to face the cruel world full of wars, yet he acted like a child. But for now, it was already in the past. They had to leave it behind. There was a bigger matter to worry about.

"Go on," demand Queen impatiently. "I mean about Deuce."

Machina closed his eyes. He couldn't hold it any longer. "Mind if I talked this way? I couldn't hold it anymore. I promise I would stay conscious."

"It doesn't matter as long as you talk," King said.

"Alright. I think... she had a plan to end all of this. She sealed the power of the crystals within herself. I saw her when she sealed _Byakko_'s and _Genbu_'s a while ago. She was so powerful with the help of a blue dragon."

"_Soryu_," Queen said under her breath.

Machina nodded a little, confirming what Queen had said. "She played her flute and in an instant, everyone was made unable to move, except for me. As a Byakko L'Cie I had to confront her to protect the crystal but she successfully defeated me. When she sealed the power of the crystal, I regained my control. Then, she told me that it was in order to save all of us, to save Orience with little sacrifice."

Sice clearly understood what Machina had said since she knew that Deuce is more than gentleness and smile. She could be strong when the time had come. "Is that all?" she asked believing that there must be something more about it.

Machina nodded his head again. "Yes. Oh, there's one more thing. The one who brought me here was Deuce. Now she is battling those Rur—"

Before Machina could finish what he wanted to say, the door leading to the hallway opened forcibly. There, everyone could see Deuce with a blue dragon behind her back. Her face was full of determination while her body had some blood on it. The blood part wasn't really suited for her angelic feature.

"Now that you are here, you don't need my help anymore. I'm going to give you my power. Good luck. Save your friends, save Orience," the crystal was speaking through Deuce's mind. She could hear it loud and clear. Soon, after _Soryu_ crystal finished what it wanted to say, Deuce could feel a strong power entered her. She closed her eyes, waiting for her body to accept this newly received power. After she calmed down, she opened her eyes. "One more left," she said walking past her friends. She cast a spell that made everyone unable to move. With no L'Cie guarding _Suzaku_ crystal left, Deuce could see the crystal peacefully. But she was wrong.

There, in front of her was Rem, standing with twin daggers on her hands. Her eyes were red, L'Cie brand shined on her body. Those fire around her were just like the ones Lord Zhuyu had. She was the new L'Cie of _Suzaku_.

Throwing her hesitant mind away, Deuce moved forward. She readied herself to clash with Rem. Just with the melody of her flute, Rem's body flew backward until it met a concrete wall with a loud bang.

"I'm very sorry." It was the only word Deuce could said. She had gotten more and more powerful that it terrified her. She needed to press forward. Before she went on, she turned her head, looking at her unmoving friends behind her. "I'm sorry everyone. I'm sorry... Ace-_san_ , I had to do this."

Deuce continued her search with chamber of Suzaku crystal as her destination. When she was there, she could see the last crystal shone brightly in the middle of the room. Deuce walked closer, she prepared herself for the sealing process. She played her flute, creating a soothing melody from it. Not long, _Suzaku_ crystal lost its light. Finally, the last power was hers.

Now that she already had the power of the four crystals, Deuce made a hand seal while chanting a spell. Suddenly, a huge green seal appeared in front of her, opening a gate to another world. In an instant, all of Class 0's unconscious members where floating in front of her. They were being sucked to the other side of the seal.

"Goodbye." As she said that word, she put her own body in front of it, sealing the gate from opening ever again. A single teardrop fell from her right eye. "Everyone... Ace-_san_... _sayonara_."

...

_[Gate of Fate: Green Seal – Date: Finis I]_

All the time, the goddess cried silently in her sleep. A woman wearing glasses approached her silent figure engulfed in green light.

"Tell me, what do you want my child?" asked the glasses woman.

"Mother, is that you?" the goddess asked. Her eyes were closed, even her mouth didn't moved an inch. It was her soul that spoke.

"Yes, Deuce. It's me."

"Mother, please. Let everyone live their happy life in another world. Let them forget about it."

The glasses woman put her cigarette away from her mouth. "As you wish, my child. I will let all of you live as you please. But, are you fine with this?" she asked the goddess one more time before she left.

"Yes."

Years later, the goddess was still keeping the gate sealed while enduring her loneliness. She really missed her loved one. She really wanted to meet him. Now that he was in another world across this gate, she could only remember and cried about him. Finally, she decided to put all of her feeling into something and planned to cast away all of it. She chose a book where she could write all of it. It wasn't something like a poem or love letter. It was lyric of a song that her beloved always sang. She opened her eyes then used her godly power to write it.

_Maigo no ashioto kieta_

_Kawari ni inori no uta o_

_Soko de hono ni naru no darou_

_Suzuku mono no tomoshibi ni_

As she finished pouring all of her feelings, she closed her eyes, making her tears fell down from them. These tears will be shed for eternity.

Unknown to the sleeping goddess, a masked man walked toward her direction. He got his hand on the book.

"Let the story begins anew."

...

– **To be Continued on Tune 2: Blurred Memories**–


	3. Tune 2: Blurred Memories

**The Book of Black Melody**

**Final Fantasy Type-0**** (formerly known as Final Fantasy Agito XIII)**** © Square Enix**

**Story © Ashleena Elran**

Final Fantasy Agito XIII / Final Fantasy Type-0 - Rated: T - English - Drama/Mystery - [Ace, Deuce] [Machina K., Rem T.]

**...**

**~ Tune 2: Blurred Memories ~**

**...**

_[Nea Elpida, Vrady City, Kaji's Residence: Back Yard – Date: September 2]_

The night wind blew slowly, tickling his pale face. Tonight was just the same as before. It didn't feel lonely to him, it was just empty. Monotonous days came and went by. He didn't even know what he had missed, what he had experienced, well… everything just been too stagnant for him.

Many times, he wondered if there was someone who felt as empty as he was. Living the life without any clear destination. Just doing everything that had been presented in front of him. Perhaps, he could be considered as a robot. Well, he couldn't deny that idea.

He took a deep breath, inhaling the cold air of autumn. Time flowed so fast. It felt like summer was just yesterday, yet the leaves already fell from the trees.

"Ace!" Someone shouted his name from behind him.

Ace turned his head toward the direction of the voice. He narrowed his eyes, even though he knew that he didn't need to do that because he could recognize the owner of the voice without seeing the face. Well, that voice was too familiar to him. There was no way that he didn't recognize it.

Ace exhaled, straightened his body that was leaned against the wall, and his arms were crossed in front of his chest. He waited for the figure to approach him.

A young man, around the same age as him, walked slowly to where Ace was standing. His slightly long dark hair, which was blown by the wind, covered a side of his face.

Ace parted his lips slowly. He muttered something in a low voice, "Izana?"

The man now stood face to face with Ace widened his eyes. He stared at Ace in disbelief. How could Ace knew that name?

"Ace? You okay?" The dark haired man waved his right hand in front of Ace's face.

Ace stared at him for a minute, as if he was in a daze. Then, he blinked his eyes as if he was just coming back to his senses. After a minute of silence, he realized that the man in front of him was Machina, his best friend. How could he mistook him for someone else?

Ace shook his head. "Sorry, I thought you were someone else," Ace apologized to him. "Seriously, for a second there, you looked so much like someone I knew in the past," he continued. He scratched the back of his neck nervously while his eyes were averted to the left.

Machina didn't respond to what Ace said. He wanted to say something, but he hesitated. He had to think about his words carefully as to not make this conversation confusing. Honestly, he was the one who felt so confused. Izana died when Machina was still seven years old. At that time, both Machina and Ace hadn't met each other.

Machina started to speak, "You didn't mistake me for someone else. Izana was my brother."

Ace felt a bang inside his head. Ace didn't really remember this Izana, the name that suddenly appeared inside his head. It felt like he knew him, yet he wasn't so sure if he really knew him. Lately, his memory was kind of foggy. It felt like he could see someone else's memories.

Machina sighed softly. "He died when I was still five years old."

Ace's eyes widened. He looked surprised, then his expression changed. He looked apologetic.

"I'm sorry," he said in a low voice.

"No need to. It happened a long time ago. I'm already through it," Machina brushed the matter off with a wave.

"Then… how do I know him?" Ace asked reluctantly.

Machina didn't answer instantly. He was just as curious as Ace himself. He thought through his words first. He didn't know how to explain this to Ace. He was so sure, he met Ace a year after the death of his brother. It didn't make sense that he knew his brother before. There was only one option, Ace knew his brother before he even met him.

"Maybe, you met him somewhere before? Before you met me? Can't you remember it?" Machina asked. He wasn't sound so sure by the sound of his own voice.

Ace tried to trace his memories. He couldn't remember meeting a man named Izana. This couldn't be a coincidence considering that the man named Izana was actually Machina's brother.

"Nothing came to me. Sorry," he answered while shaking his head.

"No need to say sorry. Let's forget about it," Machina dismissed their earlier conversation. "Anyway, I have something good for you," he added, switching their conversation's topic. Then, he handed something to Ace.

Maybe it was better for him to leave the matter regarding Izana this time. If he really ever met him, he would remember somehow. Changing his mood, Ace paid his attention to something that was held by Machina.

What Machina handed to him was a book. At first, Ace looked through the front side of the book. Its color was golden. On its cover was written the word 'ZERO' in white. There was something written under the word 'ZERO' that caught his attention.

"I knew you would like this book. You love singing after all. The content seems to be lyrics of a song," Machina commented.

Ace ran his fingertips through the cover. He stared at the page of the book. There were some words written on it. His lips then whispered, "Kana Hanazawa…."

"She is a famous flutist who just debuted recently. Her performance enchants everyone who hear the melody coming from her flute. Kind of… hypnotizing," Machina explained.

"Yeah, I heard it from the news."

"Well, that's just a stage name, though. Just like you Ace, or should I call, Yuki Kaji?"

Ace frowned at Machina's remark. Well, everyone aside from those who knew Ace closely only knew his name as Yuki Kaji. That's the name given to him by his current family, by his adopted parents. "It's not a stage name. It's my name, but it's not," Ace muttered to himself.

Machina stared at Ace in confusion. He heard Ace said something, but he couldn't hear it clearly, so he asked, "Hm? You said something?"

Ace shook his head slowly. "No. It's nothing," he denied. "Then, what do you want me to do with this?" Ace asked changing the topic.

Machina nodded. "Open the book," urged Machina. He crossed his hands over his chest while waiting for Ace to open the book.

Without a second thought, Ace opened the book. There was a strange feeling that ran through his mind. The feeling of wanting, the feeling of yearning. He didn't understand what it meant himself.

Once he opened the book, he was welcomed with a message written on the first page, '_This black melody I presented to the one who had forgotten me._'

Upon reading the message, a chill ran down his spine. Weird. It was as if the message was meant for him. However, there was no way it could be. He didn't even know who this flutist was, not to mention, meeting her in person.

His eyes scanned over the following page. There was a set of notes written on it. No doubt, this was a music sheet. He looked carefully through the notes. Unknown to him, he unconsciously hummed the melody, the black melody.

Ace stopped midway. He didn't finish the melody that he hummed before. "Isn't it the song that mother always taught me in the past?" he asked, more to himself instead to Machina.

This made Machina's interest perked up. "Your mother? Isn't she– Ah, sorry." Machina quickly stopped himself from saying anything more. He wouldn't want to bring something that would make Ace remember his dark past. He knew that Ace was so traumatized by that accident that he wouldn't want to get close to anyone anymore. It was thanks to Machina's persistent approach that made Ace opened his heart to him. He accepted Machina as someone that can get close to him, as his best friend.

"It's alright. I'm used to it already," Ace said knowing that Machina must felt terrible for reminding him of the past.

Machina still wearing a concerned look, patted Ace on the back. "Hey, you still got me, okay?"

"Yeah, thanks," he said, nodding his head. "Anyway, what do you want me to do with this?" he asked, remembering the book in his hand.

"I would take you to meet her, I mean Kana Hanazawa. She's searching for someone to collaborate with. She's a pro at playing flute, but her singing skill is terrible."

Ace's eyebrows frowned. "You want me to sing for her?"

Machina put his chin over his clenched fist, a sign that he was thinking over it. "At first yes. But, now that I know this melody reminds you of your mother, I think I need to reconsider."

To be honest, Ace was curious. It wasn't about the girl, but about the melody that she wrote. He was so sure that this melody was only known by him and his late mother because his mother was the one who composed it. Maybe, she had some kind of relation with her mother. Or maybe… it was just his wishful thinking.

After a moment of silence Ace finally made his decision. It wouldn't hurt just to sing, right?

"I'll meet her," Ace decided, earning a widened eyes from Machina.

"You sure you want to meet her? I won't force you if you don't want to." There was a mixture of shock and relieve feelings on his face.

Ace shook his head. "Yeah. Pretty sure," he answered.

Machina smiled widely. "Thanks, Ace! I'm going to tell her. She will be happy." He then took his cellphone out from his pocket and started making some patterns on his phone's touch screen. It seemed that he messaged the girl.

Ace was silent for a minute, then he remembered something that he wanted to ask Machina. "Hey, Machina. There is something that I want to ask."

Machina, who were typing something on his cellphone, averted his gaze from the phone's screen to Ace for a sec, then back to the screen again. "What is it?"

How could Machina know that much about Kana Hanazawa? Did he know this flutist personally?

"You seem to know her so much. Isn't she a famous person? You shouldn't be able to know her that much. I guess famous people are kind of unapproachable," Ace commented.

Machina grinned sheepishly. "Haven't I tell you? She's my girlfriend."

Ace's left eyebrow raised in surprise. "What?"

A carefree boy like Machina could have a girlfriend? The thought of it had never ever crossed his mind.

…

_[Nea Elpida, Vrady City, Tycheros Business District: __Elysian Whistle Records__' Main Building – Date: September 3]_

On the next day, Ace and Machina went to see the famous flutist. They were standing in front of a tall building that has a banner written 'Elysian Whistle Records'.

"Is this where she works?" Ace looked through the tall building. There's no doubt about it. It was the rumored recording studio that was in charge of Kana Hanazawa's debut.

"Yep, her living place, exactly," Machina answered enthusiastically.

Machina walked ahead of Ace. He talked with the security guard for a while. The guard gave a smile and a nod to him. Ace was waiting a bit behind Machina. Machina must have known that guard somehow, knowing Kana Hanazawa was his girlfriend.

After he finished talking with the guard, Machina waved to Ace, signaling for him to come along. Ace followed him then walked beside Machina.

"You even know the guard," Ace commented. "Guess you have special connection now," he added.

Machina smiled. "Of course. I often come here. It's natural that I know him. Well, not only him actually," he explained with a somewhat cheeky manner.

They walked pass the door and continued through the long corridor. Ace walked right beside Machina without asking any question. "Damn. This corridor was so long," he cursed in his mind.

At the end of the corridor, they saw an elevator. Machina pressed the button to call the elevator to the current floor. Several seconds passed by and there was a beeping sound. The elevator door opened, then Machina and Ace walked in. Machina pressed the button that had number fifteen on it. After he pressed it, the elevator door closed itself.

Ace leaned his back on the elevator wall. He stared at the closed door as if he wanted for it to open sooner.

Machina who was standing a bit farther from Ace turned his head towards him. Out of the blue, he suddenly spoke, "You will like her. She's nice."

Ace didn't give him any reply. He just continued on staring at the elevator door. His face looked a bit grim.

Noticing Ace's slightly bad mood, Machina guessed that the loner mode suddenly struck Ace. "Do you hate meeting new people that much?" Machina continued speaking. He knew it that the answer would be obvious, yet he still decided to say it anyway just to break the icy situation.

Ace stayed still. He didn't need to get to know or even get closer to many people. He would only do that if the situation forced him to do. He didn't want to feel attached to other people like he already did to Machina.

The conversation between those two ended just like that. After some time, they finally reached the fifteenth floor. Not long, the elevator door opened itself. Both Ace and Machina walked out of the elevator.

Once outside, Ace could saw someone stood near a desk not far from where he was standing. There, he saw a girl with a shoulder length brown hair. She had red eyes that had a warm, soft gaze. Her height was a bit smaller than most of the girls that he had met before. She smiled happily towards his direction. Her smile was so beautiful that Ace had thought it was meant for him. Then, he realized that it was Machina that she smiled to.

"Machina!" she called out happily. Her hand waved to attract Machina's attention.

The one who got his name called waved back to her. He quickened his pace toward her. Once he stood in front of her, he hugged her.

"I missed you," the girl said hugging Machina.

"Same here," Machina responded to her, feeling the same.

Ace could only stood there, waiting for the two lovebirds to finish their "business".

"Umm… Machina?" the girl said as she tried to release herself from him.

He looked down to see the girl's face. "What is it?" he asked still holding the girl in his arms, but loosened his hold a bit.

"Your friend is there," she said finally releasing herself from him.

Machina suddenly distanced himself from the girl quickly. "Oh, yeah," he said panicked. "Sorry, Ace. I forgot that you are with us," he added while looking apologetic at Ace.

Ace didn't mind it. He shook his head in dismissal. "Don't worry."

Machina then turned his attention to his friend. "Well, Ace, let me introduce her to you. This is Kana Hanazawa," he said guiding Ace's gaze towards the girl that he hugged before. "Rem, this is Yuki Kaji," he added doing the same to the girl.

"Nice to meet you," Rem said as she offered her hand for a handshake.

Ace didn't responded to her offer directly. Then he reluctantly shook her hand. "Ace. Nice to meet you too," Ace replied nonchalantly.

Machina widened his eyes in disbelief. "Oi Ace, is it ok to let her know?"

Usually, Ace only let those who were close to him to know this name. He said that his birth name made him too attached to the past. But, he felt better when someone close to him called him by that name. It felt as if his old self was back.

Ace nodded his head. "It's fine. Since we're going to work together, I prefer to be called like that."

Rem, who didn't know what was going on asked in a low tone, "Umm, what's going on?"

"Well, Ace is his birth name. Not so many people know it," Machina tried to explain.

Rem nodded several times, indicating that she got the idea behind it. Then, she realized something and smiled. "It means you already opened up to me that you decided to tell me that, right, Ace?"

Ace only stared at Rem, he seemed uninterested to talk about it further. He changed his attention to Machina instead.

"You said Kana Hazawa was your girlfriend. Are you two-timing?" Ace narrowed his eyes towards Machina. His eyebrows frowned. The one being gazed at widened his eyes. He doesn't like the sound of himself being accused as a two-timer.

"You hadn't let me explain things first and accused me of being a two-timer? Thanks. That's the best thing _my best friend_ could ever say to me," Machina retorted. It was clear that he felt pretty annoyed.

Before things get more complicated, Rem decided to explain things herself. "I am Kana Hanazawa," Rem said. "Actually, that's just my stage name. My real name is Rem Tokimiya," she explained further. "Just call me Rem," she added with a smile.

Machina nodded, agreeing what Rem said. There's no way that he as a two-timer.

Sensing Machina's still annoyed expression, Rem quickly decided to get into the real matter. "Shall we get to the business?" Rem asked while pointing to the door behind her.

Ace didn't answer. He just nodded his head once. A sign of his approval.

Rem led both Machina and Ace to the room behind her. Just before she opened the door, she stopped to talk to someone sitting near the door. There was a girl with a long, braided, ginger hair. From the way she spoke, she seemed to be kind of childish. Looking from her station, she must be Rem's assistant.

As Rem lead the two young man behind her into the room, Ace couldn't help but feeling déjà vu all over again. There was a strange feeling that he had already met this girl before. He tried to dig into his memories about her, but to no avail. Maybe it was just his mind playing tricks on him.

The room he entered was large, painted in light blue. There was a set of table and couches in the middle of the room, a roundc carpet was placed under them. Not far from the couches, on the right side, there was a dressing table with a set of make-ups on it. Moving to the left side, there was a set of wooden table and chair that seemed to be used for work. Across from the entrance, there was an only window that showed the scenery of a busy town below.

"Have a seat, you two," Rem invited the two young men to sit on the couch. "Want to drink something?" she offered.

Machina thought for a while then he decided his choice, "Soft drink would be great."

Rem nodded. "What about you, Ace?"

"The same is fine," Ace answered.

"Okay."

Rem walked towards the door and then she opened it slightly, making the space enough for her head to let her head through. There was a short conversation between her and someone else, presumably with her ginger-haired assistant. After she finished talking, she pulled back her head and closed the door.

Rem turned her body to face Ace and Machina. "I hope both of you bring me good news," she said happily.

Machina slumped his back deeper to the couch. The thing that he always did every time he visited this room. It felt so cozy. "You got it right. Ace agreed to it."

Rem couldn't believe her ears. "Is that so?" There was a clear sign of excitement in her voice. It made Ace wonder, why would this girl feel so happy? It was just him agreed to collaborate with her. There was nothing that should make her feel overly excited.

"I hope we will be good partner in the future!" Rem exclaimed.

Ace wasn't happy about this. There's something wrong with this girl. "Same here," he said, his face showed a cold, forced smile.

Still lost in his thought, Ace heard a knock on the door, "Remu-_chi_, I'm bringing the drinks in."

"Ah, Cinque. Thanks!" Rem stood up upon her arrival.

The girl called Cinque walked in to the room. It was the girl that Rem had talked to before they entered the room. She brought two glasses of soft drink and a glass of iced lemon tea using a plastic tray. She took the glasses one by one from the tray to the table.

"Lemon tea, your favorite," Cinque said, blinking to Rem, earning a smile from Rem. "Then, I will excuse myself." Cinque took the plastic tray with her. Unexpectedly, she took a quick glance at Ace, smiling amusedly with no one noticing. Then, she left the room and closed the door.

The three people in the room drank their own drink. Ace and Rem only took a sip of their drinks, while Machina took almost half of his drink.

"I guess I need to use the toilet," Machina said as he put his glass back to the table. He stood up and took his way out of the room.

Being alone together with someone he barely knew made Ace feel uncomfortable. He turned his head toward the direction of the only window in the room. He stared there without saying anything.

Unknown to him, Rem had moved herself to sit beside him. Ace was a bit surprised feeling the couch shook a little when Rem placed herself beside him.

"Umm… Tokimiya, I think you're sitting too close to me," he said, trying to move himself to another couch.

Rem suddenly took a hold of Ace's left arm. "Don't you remember me?" she said out of the blue. Her face showed a sad expression as if she was feeling dejected.

Ace was confused. What's wrong with this girl?

"I'm sorry, I think this is the first time I meet you." He took Rem's hand away from his left arm. However, in his mind, he admitted that he felt he had met her before.

Rem suddenly dropped her head. Then, she quickly raised her head after that. Her red eyes stared into Ace's blue ones, like she was searching for something inside of him. Her stare was a mixture of longing, and sadness.

"It's me. Deuce."

As soon as she said that, Ace could see an image of a brown haired girl on Rem's face. Ace rubbed his eyes, thinking he was seeing things. The image he saw was so real that it couldn't be an illusion.

_She is…. You are…_

_**...**_

– **To be Continued on Tune 3: ****Lingering Reflection ****–**


	4. Tune 3: Lingering Reflection

**The Book of Black Melody**

**Final Fantasy Type-0**** (formerly known as Final Fantasy Agito XIII)**** © Square Enix**

**Story © Ashleena Elran**

Final Fantasy Agito XIII / Final Fantasy Type-0 - Rated: T - English - Drama/Mystery - [Ace, Deuce] [Machina K., Rem T.]

**...**

**~ Tune 3: ****Lingering Reflection**

**...**

_[Nea Elpida, Vrady City, Tycheros Business District: __Elysian Whistle Records__' Main Building - Rem's Private Room – Date: September 3]_

"Care to tell me what happens here?"

That voice made Ace snapped out of his trance. He stood in front of Rem, at least that's what he believed her name to be. Both hands on her shoulders, eyes looking straight into hers. He could swear that the girl's face wasn't like this just recently. What's more, it was as if he was going to... hug her. He couldn't believe himself. And now Machina was here, things would get worse.

Upon hearing Machina's voice, Ace pulled his hands from Rem in an instant. He felt guilty, truly. He didn't know what had gotten into him. Maybe he was just imagining things because of lack of sleep. However, it felt so real to him. That face... that voice... those eyes... that name... were too familiar in his mind.

Ace couldn't say anything because he didn't know what happened himself. On the other hand, the girl in front of him opened her mouth to say something, yet she closed it before she could utter something. _Great_, Ace thought to himself.

Ace tried to distance himself from Deuce– or Rem. His face looked apologetic toward Machina. He was so sure what he was going to say wouldn't make him out of this trouble. It would just become even worse.

"I was just... trying to help her. There was something in her eyes." That was all that he could say. A second after he said that, Ace cursed himself.

Machina was dumbfounded. His eyes were wide open. He quickly grabbed Rem by the shoulder to check her eye. "Oh, something stuck in your eyes?" he asked while eyeing her.

Rem just stood still. Suddenly, she blanked her eyes repeatedly. Her previous expression disappeared completely. "Umm… Machina, what are you doing?" she asked. Her voice sounded unsure.

Machina frowned at her reaction. "Of course I'm trying to check your eyes."

It was strange. Rem couldn't remember anything after Machina had left for the rest room. Rem took a glance at Ace. Ace just stared at her with a frown as if telling her, "Just go along with it."

Still unsure about what happened, Rem played along. "Uh, yes. There was something in my eye. I think a dust stuck in it," she told Machina.

"Which eye?" Machina asked still looking at her eyes.

Rem could feel that her forehead was sweating even though the room wasn't hot. She had an inner conflict, trying to find some words to make her lie sounded smooth. "The right one."

"Try to blink your eyes repeatedly. It will come off somehow. Don't rub it," he instructed her. He seemed to be truly concerned about her.

Rem did as he asked her to, pretending that there was really something in her eye. After blanking several times she stared at Machina. "It's okay now. Thanks."

Feeling relieved, Machina sighed. Then, he turned his face toward Ace who was so silent. "Man, if it was only because of this you shouldn't do something so extreme like that."

Ace, who couldn't get what Machina meant by that, asked in an annoyed tone, "What's extreme?"

Machina scratched the back of his neck lightly. "Well, I thought that you were trying to… flirt with her," he said embarrassed.

Ace's usual cold face suddenly changed. He smirked, something that he rarely did, or even never did before. "What if I was?" he challenged in a rather cocky manner.

"WHAT!?" Machina shouted loudly. Actually, he didn't intend to shout that loud, but this side of Ace was the first time for him. He was just so shocked.

Ace chuckled upon seeing Machina's reaction. "Sorry, just kidding," he said bluntly. "I just wanted to help her," he added. "Well, that's all. No more," he finally finished.

Machina starred at him with wide eyes. For the second time he sighed again. "I appreciate your intention to tell a joke. But, please, not something like this again. I thought I would get a heart attack."

Ace frowned at Machina's behavior. This was the first time he saw this side of him. He knew that Machina cared so much about the people around him, but this was just too overly done. As if realizing something, with a cold expression Ace asked, "Are you jealous?"

Bingo! Machina's face turned red. Was he so easy to read?

Getting no answer from Machina, Ace continued, "No need to. I'm not interested in that kind of thing right now. Don't worry."

It was so embarrassing. Letting this side of him to be known by both of his best friend and girlfriend is just not so cool. Machina tried to do something so that this wouldn't go on.

"Well, let's just get back to business then," Machina said trying to change the topic. To be frank, his foolish thought was saying that those two were going to... kiss. _ That can't be, right? _His thought echoed in his head. His jealousy couldn't get the better of him.

Ace nodded his head. He felt a bit relived that Machina didn't suspect anything. Ace stole a glance toward Rem's direction. There, she was so quiet, even her face didn't show any hint of worry. Ace wondered if the girl standing there was the one she met before. She looked kind of confused.

While Ace was still debating with his own mind, Machine walked to the door which lead to the hallway. His head was slipping through the small space which was made when the door was opened slightly. He seemed to be calling out to someone.

"Ah! Mr. Aulstyne!" Ace could hear Machina's loud voice followed by loud, yet somewhat composed footsteps coming closer. Not long, Machina opened the door wider to reveal a man, supposedly in his fifties. His hair was completely white. His facial expression seemed cold and stern. Ace began to worry in his mind. If he was supposed to work under this man, he was so sure that he would not get a good night's sleep.

"So, this is the one that you told me?" the man asked without looking at Machina. He stared at Ace from head to toe instead.

Ace was feeling uncomfortable. He gulped down his nervousness. This man emits a strange, familiar aura. Ace had felt it before, but he ignored the feeling.

"My name is Ace. Nice to meet you, Sir. And please take care of me." Ace bowed his head down for a second then he raised his head again.

The one being addressed wasn't giving any reaction. He just kept on staring at Ace. And then he directed his attention toward Machina.

"Give him to Hamplemann and Mahoroha's care," said Mr. Aulstyne as he walked away from the room.

When Ace was sure that Mr. Aulstyne was far enough, he started to speak, "Scary."

"Mr. Aulstyne has always been like that, but he is a great man." Unexpectedly, the comment came from Rem. It seems like she had been back to her normal self.

"Mr. Cid Aulstyne is strict, but he is a great president. Those who work under him are professionals," Machina added. He sounded more like someone who wanted to break the ice instead of giving explanations.

Ace raised his right eyebrow. "So, you are working under him too?"

Machina nodded his head. "Yeah, since I'm Re– I mean Kana Hanazawa's manager."

"It means that you claimed yourself as a professional. Confident, aren't you?" Ace didn't mean to be sarcastic, he just wanted to say that as a matter of fact.

"_Thanks!_" retorted Machina.

And just like that, the three youngsters laughed together as if there was nothing happened between them.

...

_[Nea Elpida, Vrady City, Tycheros Business District: __Elysian Whistle Records__' Main Building - Rooftop – Date: September 3]_

"What's your report?"

A woman wearing a red mantle leaned herself against the fence. The wind blew gently toward her face, presenting the freezing scent of the night. The night wind blew her long black hair.

Beside her was a man wearing an identical mantle like the one worn by the woman, with exception that it was definitely larger than the woman's. The man was looking at the night's view. Occasionally, he would fix the position of his glasses. The building was tall enough that if someone was looking down from the highest floor, they might get the best view of the city's night scenery.

"Our decision to keep an eye on that old man is the right decision," he answered.

"Oh, is that so?" the woman asked while closing her eyes.

"Is it going to start again?" the woman said with a troubled expression on her face.

"I thought we ended it. This is definitely _that_ _man's_ _doing_," responded the man.

She turned her face to the man. "When I finally thought that we can set them free from Mother, a Father came to adopt them."

The man turned his back toward the fence. His elbows were placed on the fence, supporting his body. "It means that we have to help them again, huh?"

The woman pulled some strands of her hair that got their way to her face. Looking down at the city, her face showed a sad expression. She seemed to have some burdens in her mind.

"I am tired, I want to rest," she replied.

"We can never do that, and you know that for sure. We promised her," said the man.

The woman smiled bitterly. She closed her eyes, making her face looked like someone who wanted to hold down her cries.

"Our fate is worse than death," she said nonchalantly, her voice matched her bitter smile before.

The man ran his fingers through his hair. He inhaled the cold air of night deeply. Strange, there was a thought inside his head that wanted for himself to be frozen just by inhaling the cold air. There was just no way for it to happen. Just like what the woman said, his fate is worse than death. So, basically death was nothing. It won't help him to ease the pain he felt.

"You know what, the girl has escaped. She entered this world not long ago. A whole new hard work for us."

The woman turned her head to face the man properly. "What!?"

"You heard it right." It was the only thing that man could say.

The woman placed her right palm to her head. Her face showed worry, anger, and confusion at a time.

"How come?" she asked in disbelief.

"I don't know for sure, but it seems like she borrowed someone else's body in this world. Her physical body is still at the Green Gate after all," explained the man.

The woman suddenly pulled the man's right hand. "We have to find her," she demanded.

The man smirked. "Well, we are not alone, though. There are some old friends coming to enjoy the party as well."

What the man said perked up the woman's curiosity. "What?"

"For your information, now they work under that man. Things will get complicated," he explained with a sigh at the end.

The woman scratched her head in frustration. "Argh! Then, what do we do now?"

The man shook his head. Then, he faced the sky above him. "We only have two options. First, force him to back off from this world."

The woman turned her head downward. She took a little time to think. The first option sounded crazy. There was no way with only the two of them to do that. If they really had to choose that option, at least they need more allies. There was a short silence before she raised her head up again. "What's the other option?"

The woman stared at the man intently. She did that as if trying to find the answer on the man's face. Surprisingly, the man smiled at her. "Opening the gate," he finally answered.

The woman didn't say anything. She was so deep in thought that her forehead started to wrinkle. Looking at her expression, the man laughed instantly.

The woman raised an eyebrow. She seemed really annoyed by the man's laughter. "What do you think you are doing?" she asked sarcastically.

The man continued to laugh. After he finished laughing, he took a deep breath. "You'll get old if you always think like that. Look, those wrinkles will make you old," he said with a little laugh. It seemed that the butterflies hadn't disappeared from his stomach yet.

The woman suddenly showed a bitter smile. "I'm already old. Too old for my own appearance," she said in a sad tone.

The man suddenly patted the woman's head. "Don't worry. Even though you are old, you are still beautiful." His action earned him a hit from the woman. The woman also blushed slightly, but she quickly hid it with a wide smile.

"Don't joke around, _Joker_," scolded the woman.

The man called Joker kept on smiling, ignoring the woman's scolding. "Easy, Tiz. We need to get ready for meeting the main characters of this endless story, soon."

...

_[Nea Elpida, Vrady City, Tycheros Business District: __Elysian Whistle Records__' Main Building - Rem's Private Room – Date: September 3]_

After Ace's visit, Rem was left alone in her room. She was feeling confused about what had happened to herself. For some time, she felt that she hadn't been herself. Sometimes, she felt she could see herself doing something out of her will. She would occasionally do something that she didn't intend to do. In worst case scenario, she often forgot what she did. From all that has happened, what happened with Ace was the worst one to her.

She was worried if this went on, things worse than what happened before would happen again. She wanted to tell Machina one of these days, but she just couldn't. Telling him something like this would only make his worrywart side to appear, and Rem didn't want that. However, she couldn't keep on lying like this. She was so sure that Machina must had noticed something different with her. She also didn't want Machina to misunderstand again. She feared that because of her, everything around her would be destroyed.

"I guess, I should say the truth," she muttered to herself.

The sound made from her index finger's nail knocking on the window was the only sound that could be heard in the room. Yet, Rem could hear voices inside her head telling her to meet Ace again over and over.

Rem massaged her forehead gently. All of this had given her so much pressure. All of this ominous feelings started when that man gave her that flute. Yes, that flute was the source of all these weird things that happened to her.

Rem walked toward the sofa where she had left her bag. She reached for the bag, rummaged inside it until she found the thing that she needed, a simple, brown flute.

She remembered Mr. Aulstyne gave this flute to her a week ago. He said that she needed to start playing some instruments aside from singing. Since Mr. Aulstyne said so, Rem could only obey. Moreover, she knew perfectly that she wasn't so good at singing. But, the moment she started playing that flute, weird things started to haunt her.

She gripped the flute harder with her right hand. "I should throw this thing away."

"You can't do that."

Rem's body jolted when she heard that voice. She turned her head to see someone was standing at the door of her room.

There was a man in crimson suit. He wore a black hat which almost covered most of his face.

"Who are you?" asked Rem in a panic. She could hear her own voice trembling. This person had successfully made her freaked out.

The man didn't give any answer. He walked toward Rem instead. His slow pace made Rem's heart to beat faster.

"What do you want?!" Now she managed to make her voice louder. She shouted to the mysterious man this time.

Still, the man didn't answer. He continued to move forward. When he almost got close to Rem, he reached his left hand out.

"Let her out," he demanded.

Rem didn't get what this man said. She shook her head to show just how clueless she was. "What do you mean?"

"Surrender your body to her," he told Rem. Now he had gripped both of Rem's shoulders. The power that he used to grip her was so strong that it made her flinch in pain.

"Stop it!" Rem shouted. She struggled to release herself from him. His grip was so firm and forceful that Rem had a difficult time to fight back.

Ignoring Rem's demand, the man gripped her tighter. "Surrender. Now," he ordered her harshly.

Still at loss of what had happened, Rem could only struggle. However, she suddenly felt weird. Her vision was getting blurry. In her head, she could hear a voice beckoning her to sleep. She felt that something wanted to take over her consciousness.

The man pulled his hand from her shoulder. Then, he crossed both of his arms in front of his chest. "Deuce. Out," said the man sternly.

As if responding to what the man said, Rem's eyes flashes green. Then, her originally red colored eyes turned into dark blue.

"We are here."

...

_[Nea Elpida, Vrady City, Gnosi Area – Date: September 3]_

Ace stared at his watch. Since his visit to Rem's place, he had been wandering along the street on his way home. To be honest, he had nothing better to do. He decided to take a walk home. Maybe some walk will make his mind clearer after what had happened.

"One thirteen," he whispered.

Ace looked around his surroundings. He noticed that there was a big library across the street. The name was written on a wide board above the entrance. It said "Rubicus Library"

Ace decided to pay a visit there. When he entered the library, he was welcomed by a female librarian. She had long dark hair. Her glasses complimented her appearance as a librarian.

The librarian girl smiled at Ace, then she bowed her head slightly. "Welcome," she greeted warmly.

Ace stared at the girl for a sec. He felt that she was somewhat familiar.

"Would you like to read something?" the librarian girl asked.

Ace was a bit surprised when he heard her asking him. "Ah, I would like to read some fictions," he answered.

The librarian girl nodded. "I would recommend you to read 'Legends of the Crystals'."

Ace nodded, signaling his agreement. The librarian girl then started to lower herself behind the receptionist desk until she couldn't be seen. After some minutes, she appeared again, now with a book in her hand. Then, she handed the book to Ace.

"You are lucky. Someone just returned this book," she explained.

Ace took the book from her hand. He examined the book which had a crystal picture in the middle of the cover. When he tilted the book a bit, the crystal picture seemed like it was shining under the sun's ray of light. The crimson color of the book's cover added the feeling like the crystal was burning. Ace felt intrigued to open the book.

"You may read there," the librarian girl said as she pointed her right index finger toward the direction of some sets of tables and chairs.

Ace nodded and closed the book. "Thank you," he responded as he walked away.

The librarian girl also nodded in return. "You're welcome," she said. When she was sure that Ace was far enough, a voice could be heard from behind the librarian girl. "Ah, found ya again!" she chirped.

The librarian girl turned her head. A bubbly, ginger-haired girl smiled at her. "Teehee, _tadaima!_"

The librarian girl put a finger over her lips. The ginger-haired girl covered her mouth instantly. "Ups… sorry," she apologized.

The librarian girl sighed, then she asked, "You've met him before?"

The ginger-haired girl nodded. "Yup! At Remu-_chi_'s place."

The librarian girl cracked a small smile. "This time you are one step ahead of me. Good job, Cinque."

The girl called Cinque then shook her head. "Ah, ah. It was just a coincidence," she denied.

The librarian girl then put her hand on Cinque's head. She patted it lightly.

"So, shall we start the mission?" Cinque asked while tilting her head a little.

The librarian girl fixed the position of her glasses. She directed her eyes toward the direction where Ace was sitting. After that she muttered something under her breath, "_Mitsuketa_."

_**...**_

– **To be Continued on Tune 4:**** Forbidden Existence**** –**


End file.
